Automatic mobile application redirection

ABSTRACT

Automatic application redirection is provided. Upon receiving a request for a first content object, a determination may be made as to whether the request is associated with a mobile device. In response to determining that the request is associated with the mobile device, the request may be redirected to a second content object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/648,461 filed Oct. 10, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.9,563,713, entitled “AUTOMATIC MOBILE APPLICATION REDIRECTION” which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Web sites often offer a mobile version of their affiliated web pageswhen a user visits the site from a browser on a mobile device, such as atablet or cellular phone. Such mobile sites may be designed with a smallscreen size and/or limited feature set in mind. Redirection software mayallow an automatic redirection to such mobile versions when the mobiledevice browser is detected, such as by a browser identifier sent in theheaders of a request for a page on the web site. Users may sometimeswish to switch between the mobile version and the full version of theweb site, however, such as when the mobile version does not provide anidentical feature set. Furthermore, not all devices are correctlyrecognized, so users may need to switch between the mobile and fullversions manually instead of waiting for a fix.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this Summaryintended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.

Automatic application redirection may be provided. Upon receiving arequest for a first content object, a determination may be made as towhether the request is associated with a mobile device. In response todetermining that the request is associated with the mobile device, therequest may be redirected to a second content object.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detaileddescription provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, theforegoing general description and the following detailed descriptionshould not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features orvariations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. Forexample, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations andsub-combinations described in the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the presentinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operating environment;

FIGS. 2A-2B are illustrations of a user interface being redirected;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for providing automatic applicationredirection;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computing device;

FIGS. 5A-5B are simplified block diagrams of a mobile computing devicewith which embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced; and

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a distributed computing systemin which embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar elements.While embodiments of the invention may be described, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example,substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elementsillustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may bemodified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosedmethods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limitthe invention.

When people access content using various mobile devices, such assmartphones, they sometimes see content optimized for a standard monitorrather than for a small screen size. Content providers need a way totell how to show their content optimized for the particular user agent(e.g., a web browser.) In some cases, the user agent may provide someinformation identifying the device or browser version enabling a webserver to provide at least a general entry point. The standard versionof the content may also provide a link to the mobile version, and viceversa, that the user may select to change versions.

The content request may comprise further information such as a type ofdocument being requested and a location path for the content. Variousparameters, structured as key/value pairs, may also be included in therequest. These factors may be integrated into a signature associatedwith the request that may be used, with and/or without the identifyinginformation described above, to allow for a two-way redirection of thecontent request at a granular level.

For example, when a mobile smartphone user receives an e-mail fromsomeone else and there is a link in that e-mail to some content, theuser may tap on the link in the e-mail and the link redirects the userto a browser. The smartphone opens a browser to show the relatedcontent. The link, if the e-mail is sent from a standard desktopcomputer, may be to a version of the content designed for display on astandard monitor. In this case, an automatic mobile browser redirectionmay catch the link and translate the link to a corresponding mobile linkin order to show the mobile version of the content to smartphone users.Consistent with embodiments of this disclosure, a cookie may be set onthe browser application to save any decisions regarding whether astandard or mobile view of requested content should be provided to agiven device.

Each request for content may be evaluated to determine whether therequest comprises any mobile characteristics, such as particular filetypes, location paths, software versions, and/or hardware identifiers.If so, the request may be automatically redirected to a correspondingmobile version of the content, such as a web page comprising a condensedlayout, a lower resolution image or video file. The request may also beevaluated to determine whether the mobile device has the necessarycapabilities to display the requested content and. If not, redirect therequest to load a software application capable of viewing the file. Forexample, a request to view a spreadsheet from a web browser applicationmay be redirected to launch a spreadsheet application in order todisplay the spreadsheet content.

Configuration options may allow the user to specify that they wish toview standard version of content. For example, the content request maycomprise a header associated with a configuration property specifyingthat this particular user does not wish to be redirected to mobilecontent. In such a case, the redirect may be bypassed to avoid blockingthe user's intention to see the standard view.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operating environment 100 that mayprovide automatic application redirection. Operating environment 100 maycomprise a user device 105 comprising an input device 110, such as aphysical and/or soft keyboard, a touchscreen, a trackpad, a mouse, acamera, and/or a microphone. User device 105 may be operative to executea plurality of applications 115, such as a web browser 120, an emailapplication 125, and/or a file viewer 130. User device 105 may furthercomprise a display 140 operative to display information and receive userinputs associated with plurality of applications 115. User device 105may be operative to communicate with other computing devices, such astransmitting content requests to a server 150 via a network 160 andreceiving results from server 150 for output to display 140.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a user interface 200 as may be displayedon display 140 of user device 105. User interface 200 may display anemail application 210 comprising a link 220 to data stored on a remotecomputing device such as server 150. Upon selection of link 220 by theuser, a request for the content referenced by link 220 may betransmitted to server 150 via network 160.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of user interface 200 after receiving aredirect from server 150. In conventional desktop computing devices,selection of link 220 may result in downloading the file to thecomputing device and allowing the user to open the file in anapplication of their choosing. In many mobile devices, files may beunable to be downloaded to a common storage location, so server 150 mayredirect user device 105 to execute file viewer 130 in order to open thefile referenced by link 220 and display a plurality of data 230contained within. The redirection may be based on a user agent stringwithin the request and/or the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) signature.The redirection can thus be more granular than page-level. For example,a request for the same web page with a different parameter or locationpath can have different redirection behavior. In addition, theredirection can be bi-directional even in above-described granularity.That is, a standard view can be redirected to and from a mobile view.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in amethod 300 consistent with an embodiment of the disclosure for providingautomatic application redirection. Method 300 may be implemented using acomputing device 400 as described in more detail below with respect toFIG. 4. Ways to implement the stages of method 300 will be described ingreater detail below. Method 300 begins at starting block 305 andproceeds to stage 310 where computing device 400 may receive a requestfor a content object. For example, server 150 may receive a request fora web page from user device 105.

Method 300 may then advance to stage 315 where computing device 400 maydetermine whether the request comprises at least one mobilecharacteristic. For example, server 150 may determine whether therequest is associated with a mobile version of an application, and/orwhether the request comprises a hardware identifier associated with amobile device, a web browser cookie identifying a previous decision toprovide mobile version in responses to requests from the device, aparameter associated with the request indicating that a mobile versionof the content should be provided, a configured property regarding apreference of the user with respect to mobile versions, and/or alocation path to a mobile version of the first content object.

In response to determining that the request is associated with themobile device, method 300 may advance to stage 320 where computingdevice 400 may redirect the request to a second content object. Forexample, server 150 may provide a second web page comprising a mobileversion of an originally requested web page, and/or server 150 maydirect user device 105 to launch file viewer 130 to view a requestedfile rather than simply transmitting a requested file. In such cases,the second content object may comprise at least one common element withthe first content object, such as web page content and/or file contents.

Method 300 may then advance to stage 325 where computing device 400 maydetermine whether a user of the device accepted the redirect to thesecond content object. For example, server 150 may determine whether theuser requested the first content object again and/or whether apreviously configured user preference excluding redirects to mobileversions was received with the request and/or in response to theredirect. For another example, user device 105 may display anotification of the redirect and may receive a response to thenotification indicating that the user rejected the redirect.

In response to determining that the user of the device did not acceptthe redirect to the second content object, or if the request isdetermined not to comprise a mobile characteristic at stage 315, method300 may advance to stage 335 where computing device 400 may providingthe first content object to the device.

Otherwise, method 300 may advance to stage 330 where computing device400 may provide the second content object comprising a mobile version ofthe first content object. Method 300 may then end at stage 340.

An embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system forproviding automatic application redirection. The system may comprise amemory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. Theprocessing unit may be operative to receive a request for a firstcontent object, determine whether the request is associated with amobile device, and, in response to determining that the request isassociated with the mobile device, redirect the request to a secondcontent object.

Another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a systemfor providing automatic application redirection. The system may comprisea memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage.The processing unit may be operative to receive a request for a firstcontent object, determine whether the request is associated with amobile device, and, in response to determining that the request isassociated with the mobile device, redirect the request to a secondcontent object, wherein the at least one second content object shares atleast one element with the first content object.

Yet another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise asystem for providing automatic application redirection. The system maycomprise a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memorystorage. The processing unit may be operative to receive a request for afirst content object from a device and determine whether the requestcomprises at least one mobile characteristic. Mobile characteristic maycomprise, for example, a version of an application executing on thedevice (e.g., a web browser version known to be designed for mobiledevices), a hardware identifier associated with the device, a webbrowser cookie stored on the device, a parameter associated with therequest, a configured property associated with the device, and/or alocation path of the first content object. In response to determiningthat the request comprises a mobile characteristic, the processing unitmay be operative to redirect the request to a second content object,wherein the second content object comprises at least one common elementwith the first content object, and determine whether a user of thedevice accepted the redirect to the second content object. Determiningwhether the user of the device accepted the redirect to the secondcontent object may comprise, for example, determining whether the userrequested the first content object again, receiving a previouslyconfigured user preference, and/or receiving a response to a displayednotification of the redirect to the second content object. In responseto determining that the user of the device did not accept the redirectto the second content object, the processing device may be operative toprovide the first content object to the device

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system including computing device 400.Consistent with an embodiment of the invention, the aforementionedmemory storage and processing unit may be implemented in a computingdevice, such as computing device 400 of FIG. 4. Any suitable combinationof hardware, software, or firmware may be used to implement the memorystorage and processing unit. For example, the memory storage andprocessing unit may be implemented with computing device 400 or any ofother computing devices 418, in combination with computing device 400.The aforementioned system, device, and processors are examples and othersystems, devices, and processors may comprise the aforementioned memorystorage and processing unit, consistent with embodiments of theinvention. Furthermore, computing device 400 may comprise user device105 and/or server 150 as described above. Methods described in thisspecification may operate in other environments and are not limited tocomputing device 400.

With reference to FIG. 4, a system consistent with an embodiment of thedisclosure may include a computing device, such as computing device 400.In a basic configuration, computing device 400 may include at least oneprocessing unit 402 and a system memory 404. Depending on theconfiguration and type of computing device, system memory 404 maycomprise, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory(RAM)), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or anycombination. System memory 404 may include operating system 405, one ormore programming modules 406, and may comprise, for example, web browser120. Operating system 405, for example, may be suitable for controllingcomputing device 400's operation. Furthermore, embodiments of theinvention may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, otheroperating systems, or any other application program and is not limitedto any particular application or system. This basic configuration isillustrated in FIG. 4 by those components within a dashed line 408.

Computing device 400 may have additional features or functionality. Forexample, computing device 400 may also include additional data storagedevices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magneticdisks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated inFIG. 4 by a removable storage 409 and a non-removable storage 410.Computing device 400 may also contain a communication connection 416that may allow device 400 to communicate with other computing devices418, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, forexample, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection 416 isone example of communication media.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computerstorage media. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Systemmemory 404, removable storage 409, and non-removable storage 410 are allcomputer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storagemedia may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electricallyerasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used tostore information and which can be accessed by computing device 400. Anysuch computer storage media may be part of device 400. Computing device400 may also have input device(s) 412 such as a keyboard, a mouse, apen, a sound input device, a touch input device, etc. Output device(s)414 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included.The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used.

The term computer readable media as used herein may also includecommunication media. Communication media may be embodied by computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term“modulated data signal” may describe a signal that has one or morecharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communicationmedia may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF),infrared, and other wireless media.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may bestored in system memory 404, including operating system 405. Whileexecuting on processing unit 402, programming modules 406 (e.g.,translation API 120) may perform processes and/or methods as describedabove. The aforementioned process is an example, and processing unit 402may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be usedin accordance with embodiments of the present invention may includeelectronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications,spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentationapplications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a mobile computing device 500, for example, amobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptopcomputer, and the like, with which embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed. With reference to FIG. 5A, an exemplary mobile computingdevice 500 for implementing the embodiments is illustrated. In a basicconfiguration, the mobile computing device 500 is a handheld computerhaving both input elements and output elements. The mobile computingdevice 500 typically includes a display 505 and one or more inputbuttons 510 that allow the user to enter information into the mobilecomputing device 500. The display 505 of the mobile computing device 500may also function as an input device (e.g., a touch screen display). Ifincluded, an optional side input element 515 allows further user input.The side input element 515 may be a rotary switch, a button, or anyother type of manual input element. In alternative embodiments, mobilecomputing device 500 may incorporate more or less input elements. Forexample, the display 505 may not be a touch screen in some embodiments.In yet another alternative embodiment, the mobile computing device 500is a portable phone system, such as a cellular phone. The mobilecomputing device 500 may also include an optional keypad 535. Optionalkeypad 535 may be a physical keypad or a “soft” keypad generated on thetouch screen display. In various embodiments, the output elementsinclude the display 505 for showing a graphical user interface (GUI), avisual indicator 520 (e.g., a light emitting diode), and/or an audiotransducer 525 (e.g., a speaker). In some embodiments, the mobilecomputing device 500 incorporates a vibration transducer for providingthe user with tactile feedback. In yet another embodiment, the mobilecomputing device 500 incorporates input and/or output ports, such as anaudio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., aheadphone jack), and a video output (e.g., a HDMI port) for sendingsignals to or receiving signals from an external device.

FIG. 5B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of oneembodiment of a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile computingdevice 500 can incorporate a system (i.e., an architecture) 502 toimplement some embodiments. In one embodiment, the system 502 isimplemented as a “smart phone” capable of running one or moreapplications (e.g., browser, e-mail, calendaring, contact managers,messaging clients, games, and media clients/players). In someembodiments, the system 502 is integrated as a computing device, such asan integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless phone.

One or more application programs 566 may be loaded into the memory 562and run on or in association with the operating system 564. Examples ofthe application programs include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs,personal information management (PIM) programs, word processingprograms, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messagingprograms, and so forth. The system 502 also includes a non-volatilestorage area 568 within the memory 562. The non-volatile storage area568 may be used to store persistent information that should not be lostif the system 502 is powered down. The application programs 566 may useand store information in the non-volatile storage area 568, such ase-mail or other messages used by an e-mail application, and the like. Asynchronization application (not shown) also resides on the system 502and is programmed to interact with a corresponding synchronizationapplication resident on a host computer to keep the information storedin the non-volatile storage area 568 synchronized with correspondinginformation stored at the host computer. As should be appreciated, otherapplications may be loaded into the memory 562 and run on the mobilecomputing device 500.

The system 502 has a power supply 570, which may be implemented as oneor more batteries. The power supply 570 might further include anexternal power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradlethat supplements or recharges the batteries. The system 502 may alsoinclude a radio 572 that performs the function of transmitting andreceiving radio frequency communications. The radio 572 facilitateswireless connectivity between the system 502 and the “outside world”,via a communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to andfrom the radio 572 are conducted under control of the operating system564. In other words, communications received by the radio 572 may bedisseminated to the application programs 566 via the operating system564, and vice versa.

The radio 572 allows the system 502 to communicate with other computingdevices, such as over a network. The radio 572 is one example ofcommunication media. Communication media may typically be embodied bycomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or othertransport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. Theterm “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communicationmedia includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein includesboth storage media and communication media.

This embodiment of the system 502 provides notifications using thevisual indicator 520 that can be used to provide visual notificationsand/or an audio interface 574 producing audible notifications via theaudio transducer 525. In the illustrated embodiment, the visualindicator 520 is a light emitting diode (LED) and the audio transducer525 is a speaker. These devices may be directly coupled to the powersupply 570 so that when activated, they remain on for a durationdictated by the notification mechanism even though the processor 560 andother components might shut down for conserving battery power. The LEDmay be programmed to remain on indefinitely until the user takes actionto indicate the powered-on status of the device. The audio interface 574is used to provide audible signals to and receive audible signals fromthe user. For example, in addition to being coupled to the audiotransducer 525, the audio interface 574 may also be coupled to amicrophone to receive audible input, such as to facilitate a telephoneconversation. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention,the microphone may also serve as an audio sensor to facilitate controlof notifications, as will be described below. The system 502 may furtherinclude a video interface 576 that enables an operation of an on-boardcamera 530 to record still images, video stream, and the like.

A mobile computing device 500 implementing the system 502 may haveadditional features or functionality. For example, the mobile computingdevice 500 may also include additional data storage devices (removableand/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 5B by the non-volatilestorage area 568. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.

Data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device500 and stored via the system 502 may be stored locally on the mobilecomputing device 500, as described above, or the data may be stored onany number of storage media that may be accessed by the device via theradio 572 or via a wired connection between the mobile computing device500 and a separate computing device associated with the mobile computingdevice 500, for example, a server computer in a distributed computingnetwork, such as the Internet. As should be appreciated suchdata/information may be accessed via the mobile computing device 500 viathe radio 572 or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, suchdata/information may be readily transferred between computing devicesfor storage and use according to well-known data/information transferand storage means, including electronic mail and collaborativedata/information sharing systems.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of the architecture of a system forproviding applications to one or more client devices, as describedabove. Content developed, interacted with or edited in association withsuch applications may be stored in different communication channels orother storage types. For example, various documents may be stored usinga directory service 622, a web portal 624, a mailbox service 626, aninstant messaging store 628, or a social networking site 630. An emailclient application, for example, may use any of these types of systemsor the like for enabling co-authoring conflict resolution via comments,as described herein. A server 620 may provide applications to theclients. As one example, the server 620 may be a web server providing anemail client application over the web. The server 620 may provide theemail client application over the web to clients through a network 615.By way of example, the client computing device 618 may be implemented ascomputing device 400 and embodied in a personal computer 618 a, a tabletcomputing device 618 b and/or a mobile computing device 618 c (e.g., asmart phone). Any of these embodiments of the client computing device618 may obtain content from the store 616. In various embodiments, thetypes of networks used for communication between the computing devicesthat make up the present invention include, but are not limited to, aninternet, an intranet, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks(LAN), and virtual private networks (VPN). In the present application,the networks include the enterprise network and the network throughwhich the client computing device accesses the enterprise network (i.e.,the client network). In one embodiment, the client network is part ofthe enterprise network. In another embodiment, the client network is aseparate network accessing the enterprise network through externallyavailable entry points, such as a gateway, a remote access protocol, ora public or private internet address.

Generally, consistent with embodiments of the invention, program modulesmay include routines, programs, components, data structures, and othertypes of structures that may perform particular tasks or that mayimplement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of theinvention may be practiced with other computer system configurations,including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of theinvention may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in anelectrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged orintegrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizinga microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. Embodiments of the invention may also be practicedusing other technologies capable of performing logical operations suchas, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited tomechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition,embodiments of the invention may be practiced within a general purposecomputer or in any other circuits or systems.

Embodiments of the invention, for example, may be implemented as acomputer process (method), a computing system, or as an article ofmanufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readablemedia. The computer program product may be a computer storage mediareadable by a computer system and encoding a computer program ofinstructions for executing a computer process. The computer programproduct may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by acomputing system and encoding a computer program of instructions forexecuting a computer process. Accordingly, the present invention may beembodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, residentsoftware, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the presentinvention may take the form of a computer program product on acomputer-usable or computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the mediumfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. Acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that cancontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for useby or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example butnot limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagationmedium. More specific computer-readable medium examples (anon-exhaustive list), the computer-readable medium may include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable mediumcould even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program isprinted, as the program can be electronically captured, via, forinstance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled,interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary,and then stored in a computer memory.

Embodiments of the invention may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip(SOC) where each or many of the components illustrated in FIG. 4 may beintegrated onto a single integrated circuit. Such an SOC device mayinclude one or more processing units, graphics units, communicationsunits, system virtualization units and various applicationfunctionalities, all of which may be integrated (or “burned”) onto thechip substrate as a single integrated circuit. When operating via anSOC, the functionality, described herein, may operate viaapplication-specific logic integrated with other components of thecomputing device/system X on the single integrated circuit (chip).

Embodiments of the present invention, for example, are described abovewith reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations ofmethods, systems, and computer program products according to embodimentsof the invention. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur outof the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality/acts involved.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, otherembodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the presentinvention have been described as being associated with data stored inmemory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or readfrom other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storagedevices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, a carrier wave fromthe Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the disclosedmethods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reorderingstages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from theinvention.

All rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vestedin and the property of the Assignee. The Assignee retains and reservesall rights in the code included herein, and grant permission toreproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of thegranted patent and for no other purpose.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, otherembodiments may exist. While the specification includes examples, theinvention's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore,while the specification has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are notlimited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts described above are disclosed as example forembodiments of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A method for providing automatic application redirection,the method comprising: in response to a server determining that arequest for a first content object is associated with a mobile devicecommunicating with the server, the server redirecting the request fromthe mobile device to a second content object wherein the second contentobject has not been requested via the mobile device; determining via theserver whether a user of the mobile device has configured a preferenceto exclude redirection to the second content object in place of therequested first content object; in response to the server determiningthat the user has not configured a preference to exclude redirection tothe second object in place of the requested first content object, theserver providing the second content object without having received arequest for the second content object; and in response to the serverdetermining that the user has configured a preference to excluderedirection by the server to the second content object, the serverproviding the first content object to the mobile device as wasrequested.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user configuring thepreference to exclude redirection comprises configuring the preferenceto exclude redirection to mobile versions of content objects.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein configuring the preference to excluderedirection comprises receiving the preference to exclude redirectionalong with the request for the first content object.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein configuring the preference to exclude redirectioncomprises configuring the preference to exclude redirections in responseto redirecting the request from the mobile device to the second contentobject.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the preference toexclude redirection comprises configuring the preference to excluderedirection to mobile devices.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein themobile device comprises at least one of the following: a cellulartelephone, a smartphone, a handheld gaming device, a netbook, a laptopcomputer, and a tablet computer.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining whether the request is associated with the mobile devicecomprises identifying a version of an application executing on themobile device.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the applicationcomprises at least one of the following: a web browser and an operatingsystem.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising opening a websiteon a browser on the mobile device to request the first content object,wherein the request for the first content object is a request for afirst mobile application, and in response to redirecting the request forthe first mobile application a second mobile application is provided.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content object comprises afirst web page and the second content object comprises a second web pagecomprising a formatting associated with a display of the mobile device.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first web page and the secondweb page share at least one content element.
 12. The method of claim 10,further comprising dynamically generating the second web page accordingto the request for the first content object.
 13. The method of claim 12,further comprising identifying at least one functionality enabled on themobile device, and wherein dynamically generating the second web pagecomprises generating the second web page comprising the at least onefunctionality enabled on the mobile device.
 14. A mobile computingdevice, comprising: a browser for accessing and displaying content on adisplay of the mobile computing device; a preference which may beconfigured to exclude redirection via the browser; a user interfacedisplayed on the display for receiving user selections; an input devicefor receiving a selection via the user interface for the mobilecomputing device to transmit a request for a first content object fordisplay; and a processing unit operable to determine in response to therequest for the first content object whether to redirect the request toa second content object wherein the second content object has not beenrequested via the mobile computing device, wherein in response todetermining that the preference was not configured to excluderedirection of the browser to the second object in place of the firstcontent object, the second content object is provided in place of thefirst content object despite the selection received from the userrequesting the first content object, and wherein in response todetermining that the preference is configured to exclude redirection ofthe browser to the second content object, the first content object isprovided to the mobile computing device as was requested via theselection input to the user interface.
 15. The mobile computing deviceof claim 14, wherein the processing unit operates to open a website on abrowser on the mobile device to request the first content object,wherein the request for the first content object is a request for afirst mobile application, and in response to redirecting the request forthe first mobile application a second mobile application is provided.16. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the processing unitoperates to determine whether the preference excludes redirection tomobile versions of content objects.
 17. The mobile computing device ofclaim 14, wherein the processing unit operates to determine whether thepreference excludes redirection in response to receipt of the preferenceincluded with the request for the first content object.
 18. The mobilecomputing device of claim 14, wherein the processing unit operates todetermine whether the preference excludes redirection in response toredirecting the request from the mobile computing device to the secondcontent object.
 19. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein theprocessing unit operates to determine whether the preference excludesredirection to mobile devices.
 20. A computer-readable device whichstores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method forproviding automatic application redirection, the method executed by theset of instructions comprising: in response to a server determining thata request for a first content object is associated with a mobile devicecommunicating with the server, the server redirecting the request fromthe mobile device to a second content object wherein the second contentobject has not been requested via the mobile device; determining via theserver whether a user of the mobile device has configured a preferenceto exclude redirection to the second content object in place of therequested first content object; in response to the server determiningthat the user has not configured a preference to exclude redirection tothe second object in place of the requested first content object, theserver providing the second content object without having received arequest for the second content object; and in response to the serverdetermining that the user has configured a preference to excluderedirection by the server to the second content object, the serverproviding the first content object to the mobile device as wasrequested.